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Quarterly newsletter of Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust.
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The quarterly newsletter of Perth & Kinross Countryside Trust
www.pkct.org
Edition 7: Spring 2010
The popular riverside walk at Blairgowrie will benefi tfrom a major upgrade thanks to a project led by PKCT. From the town, the path goes through woodland past Oakbank Mill, heading towards the Lornty Bridge. The area’s rich milling history saw sixteen spinning mills builtin Blairgowrie and Rattray, the majority of which were powered by the Ericht, drawing water along an ingeniousarray of lades. By 1870 the mills employed over 2500 people, many of whom would have enjoyed the woodland walk. In 1979, the industrial use of the riverside ended, allowing thewoods to be used primarily for recreation. Sycamore has slowly encroached on the woodlands,limiting development of the understory, restricting views and preventing light from reaching the paths. The sycamore will be thinned, thanks to a ForestryCommission Woodland in and Around Town (WIAT) grant,to create space and light.
projectolved sultation h SNH,local
mmunity, nsultants d Perth Kinross uncil’s
ee andoodlandffi cer.ny public oncerns bout treelling wereddressedhroughocal presseleasesnd on siteonsultation ndnformationboards. PKCT securedfurther funding in excess of £60k
through the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) to improve accessto the site. This will involve resurfacing old paths, creatingnew paths andimproving drainage. It will also be usedfor interpretation,picnic benches and improvements to two car parks.
Riverside regeneration
The invoconswiththe comconand& KCoTreWoOffiAncoabfeadthloreacoainbPsff
othrough the
Woodland management in progress on
Blairgowrie Riverside
Contact Andrew BarrieT: 01738 475239E: [email protected]
On Monday 1 March, after seven years in the care of theEnchanted Forest™ steering™group, Scotland’s largest outdoor light and sound showwas offi cially handed over to the local community. At a brief ceremony at Faskally Wood,home of the event, RoseannaCunningham, Minister forEnvironment presented thenew Pitlochry Area CommunityInterest Company (CIC) with ahealthy dowry and wished themwell for the future.
Perthshire Big Tree Country’sfl agship event has grown to attract around 20,000 visitorswith an estimated economicinvestment of £1million. Syd House, chair of the Big Tree Country steering groupsaid: “The Enchanted Forest has been a Big Tree Country success story from the outset. Local businesses and the wider community got behind the event
veloping the ‘Autumn stival’ to add value for itors. We are confi dent at the Enchanted orest will be in safe and nthusiastic hands.”raham Brown,anaging director of
he Pitlochry CIC said e was “… particularly onoured to be
accepting Big Tree Country’s generous gift on behalf of the many members of the community who haveworked together tomake this possible.”
Over the years, the trees surroundingLoch Dunmore at Faskally have danced with light, refl ected in the still
waters, and been illuminated by fi re bursts – all set to eclectic soundtracks of rock, folk and traditional music and accompanied by fairies, aliens, witches and other mythical creatures.
www.enchantedforest.org.uk.
Under new management: The Enchanted Forest™
Lighting up Faskally © Enchanted Forest
the event, devFesvisithaFoenGrmthhehaCgmc
Over the years,
Roseanna Cunningham hands over the Enchanted
Forest to the local community © Ian Sadler
Projects on the go...
No one is sure when the Perth Town Lade was fi rst constructed but it is believed that it initially served as a defensive ditch around the town. From the 14th century until the mid ‘60s it was used to drive several mills – as many as 46 in 1725.
Today The Lade is a thriving thoroughfare to the town centre for the people living along its length.
An ambitious project to upgrade The Lade is underway involving the Trust, Perth & Kinross Council, Sustrans and the local communities. The Trust has recently overseen improvements to two sections of the path and a consultation is taking place to uncover the story of The Lade to be told through interpretation.
Over the coming months activities and events are scheduled including the planting of a community orchard; a walk along The Lade with countryside rangers and members of the Heritage Trust; and a celebration of the International Year of Biodiversity at the newly planted orchard.
A new look LadeThe Johnny Mathews’ Walk – named after a local postman – is a popular path linking to the Provost Walk in Auchterarder. Having suffered from poor drainage for anumber of years, the route was in dire need of improvements.
Acting on behalf of the council, PKCThas undertaken to resurface sections of the path and carry out essentialdrainage. A number of sycamore trees growing along the edge of thepath were felled to prevent them fromcasting seed into the neighbouringoak woodland. Long term colonisationof sycamore could have threatenedthe woodland’s SSSI status.
This is the fi rst stage of an extensive proposal to upgrade the Provost Walk. Grants of £29,000 from SRDP and a maximum of £14,000from the Auchterarder Common Good Fund were secured todeliver access improvements throughout 2010.
The postie’s path
The Town Lade © PKC Countryside Ranger Service
Contact Andrew BarrieT: 01738 475239E: [email protected]
m
n
Andrew inspects the new Johnny
Mathews path in Auchterarder
Staff from The Gleneagles Hotel will take part in four familiarisation events around the area, spreadthroughout the year, to help them in their promotion of BigTree Country to the hotel guests. Their contact with the guests is anessential part of the SupportingBig Tree Country partnershipbetween the Trust and the hotel.Wild Outdoors is also leading a sseries of wildlife watching walks, offering guests a fl avour of the rich BTC plant and animal life.
Customer care in Big Tree Country
A peregrine falcon is just one of the many species that call BTC home
Poor drainage meant walkerswith wet feet were a common sight on the pathfrom MillDam to Loch Ordie… but not any more. The Trustarranged for work to be done to clear the oldVictorian stone culverts and reform the eroded surface on this popular part of theDunkeld Path Network.
The work was put to the test recently whenmelting snow proved that the drainage systemis capable of carrying away a huge volumeof water. And by summer, the scars of ditchcleaning will have grown over leaving a much drier surface for walkers to use andenjoy.
Muddy feet a thing of the past
Muddy path at Loch Ordie before the work began
The creation of a short surfaced path along the old railway at Crook of Devon provides children with a safer route to school and allows locals to get to the village centre, avoiding the busy A977.
By rebuilding the old drystane dyke beside the cemetery, an entry to the new whindust path was created.
Safer route to school
TTeBbWsoB
Entrance to the new path at Crook of Devon
Contact Paul McLennanT: 01738 475255E: [email protected]
Contact Robbie GordonT: 01738 475348E: [email protected]
Contact Robbie GordonT: 01738 475348E: [email protected]
Contact Robbie GordonT: 01738 475348E: [email protected]
As part of the Perth800 celebrations, the geocachers are coming to town. Expected to attract hundreds of people from abroad, the Geocaching Mega Event on July 31 is the fi rst of its kind in Scotland, and it’s taking place right here in Big Tree Country.
Participants in the outdoor event usea GPS unit to seek out hidden caches containing items placed by other enthusiasts. Some objects ‘hitchhike’ from cache to cache and their journeys are logged online. A recent Perth800bear hitchhiked its way, over an eight month period, from Perth toAschaffenburg in Germany – a town with which Perth is twinned.
Keen geocache enthusiasts should keep their eye out for a couple of limited edition David Douglas geocoins travelling from the Pacifi c Northwest on their way home to Perth. The coins are now on sale and are expected to be sold outahead of the event. A special BTC geocoin is in production for the event itself.
Mega event, mega fun
h
We know there are a lot of dedicated people across Big Tree Country improving and promoting the area for thebenefi t of all. At the annual Big Tree Country Awardsheld at the Gleneagles Hotel, the achievements of thesepeople were celebrated in style.
Former ITN newscaster Fiona Armstrong hosted he ceremony, and was
delighted to give awardso Strathbraan Tourist
Group, Pitlochry in Bloom, and NaeLimits, who scoopedthe top awards in the categories localbusiness; community; and education respectively.
This year’s awards are again at The Gleneagles Hotelon Sunday 26 September. The theme is CelebratingBiodiversity to complement the International Year of yBiodiversity.
Meanwhile, theTrust challengedlocal school children to Namethe Cateran in a competition toname, and createa biographyfor, the new hand-carvedwaymarkers along theCateran Trail.
The way-markers are nowenjoying their new monikers, Fry, Metal, Magoragin, Mabuz, Archie and Crackblack. The winnersreceived a miniversion of theway-marker carved byPKCT Grants offi cer Robbie Gordon.
www.caterantrail.org
Award winners
FFtdt
Celebrating ...
e
e
R bbi
Look out for ‘Metal’ on the Cateran Trail © Mike Bell
Contact Angela HughesT: 01738 475256E: [email protected]
at the BTC Awards 2009 © Zoe Barrie
Creative interpretationThe recently completed series of interpretation panels representing the path network throughout Crieff & Comrie is now in place. Wander around and discover the history of the drovers; learn about the abundant plant and wildlife; and fi nd out who Lady Mary’s Walk was named after.
A suite of Perthshire Big Tree Country leafl ets has hit the stands of Visitor Information Centres and other outlets. The leafl ets for Kinnoull Hill Woodland Park, the Falls of Bruar, the Birks of Aberfeldy, and the Crieff Path Network, will be added to over the year including one for the Dunkeld Path Network available soon.A new Guides’
Guide is in development to encourage accommodation providers to divulge interesting snippets of information on BTC that visitors may not fi nd elsewhere. With the BTC online toolkit, the aim is to support providers in promoting the area in a consistent and positive manner. In fact, thanks to the success of the BTC toolkit, we are developing a version for providers along the Cateran Trail.The Trust is also working with Perth & Kinross Council countryside rangers to interpret areas such as Alyth Den, the Dunkeld Path Network, Dunning and Kirkmichael in fun and engaging ways. Ideas range from interactive u-turns, to woodland sculptures and stone carving.
A BiglethViCoufoWFBaNayfPInterpreting the Crieff Path Network
Contact Angela HughesT: 01738 475256E: [email protected]
Contact Paul McLennanT: 01738 475255E: [email protected]
And there’s more...
The work of the Trust is only possible thanks to support from the following:
Requests to investThis year is proving to be a bumper year for grants. Since January, the Trust has received seven applications for support, totalling £43,000. The projects range from a replacement bridge in Blair Atholl to a new path through Burleigh Castle grounds in Kinross.
In Highland Perthshire, local groups requested money to improve facilities
and encourage more cycling in the area. Over in East Perthshire, an application was received to help provide
information for the proposed new visitor centre in Glenshee.
Making money go a long wayA recent PKCT grant of £7,000 to Dunning Community Trust enabled a new path through Kincladie Wood. Newly completed, the path allows a clear view of the best preserved section of a Roman fort that extends from Dunning into the woodland.
The widening and surfacing of a path along the north side of Guildtown completes a circular route skirting the village. The entire route will now be signposted and promoted. Contact Robbie Gordon
T: 01738 475348E: [email protected]
The lastword …
Of the many things theTrust does, itis particularly successful atbringing ingrants and then effectively doubling their value by attracting other fundingo make the
money gourther.
In recent months, Trust staff have been successful in applying for grants from theScottish Rural Development Programme(SRDP) and Forestry Commission’sWoodlands in and Around Town (WIAT). Both of these grant schemes have enabled the Trust to improve Blairgowrie Riversidewith an investment of around £90k, andpaths in Auchterarder are benefi ting fromSRDP.
Through the ongoing partnership with TheGleneagles Hotel, Supporting Big TreeCountry, the Carse of Gowrie orchards continue to benefi t – along with SRDPinvestment – and the iCONic project isdeveloping apace.
An application to Forestry for People, if successful, will offer a new outdoor learning project featuring plant collector David Douglas to all schools throughout the area. Equally, Drumderg wind farm may provide funding for communities in its vicinity.
On the other side, the Trust gives grantsto help communities improve their localareas and facilities. Since the beginning of the year, we’ve received seven grant applications for a range of projects, some of which are included in Robbie’s grants round-up next to this column.
Not bad for sucha small team!
OtTisbgtdtbotmf
Inspecting the new path through Kincladie Wood
ThhyeTrfopbtK
an
Burleigh Castle - the new path passes
through its grounds
Hot off the press• Follow in the footsteps of Kings – takes
place on Saturday 12 June. A fascinatingwalk starting in Scone, fi nishing with a tourof Elcho Castle and incorporating part ofthe CoronationWalk and a boattrip acrossthe Tay.
ion
PKC Ranger Service, T: 01738 475349Adrian Davis,
• Wild Connections – a new wildlife watching festival takes place in Perth and Kinross from Saturday 9 – Sunday 17 October
